Socket insert for varying the intensity of a light bulb



June 14, 1966 A. E. TROLIO ETAL 3,256,466

SOCKET INSERT FOR VARYING THE INTENSITY OF A LIGHT BULB Filed Oct. 12,1962 INVENTORS ANDREW E. TROL/O BY BOYCE M. AOAMS ATTORNEYS.

M W W United States Patent 3,256,466 SOCKET INSERT FOR VARYING THEINTENSITY OF A LIGHT BULB Andrew E. Trolio, Broomall, Pa., and Boyce M.Adams, Moorestown, N .J., assignors to Adtrol Electronics, Inc.,Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Oct. 12, 1962,Ser. No. 230,070 1 Claim. (Cl. 317-101) This invention relates to asocket insert for varying the intensity of a light bulb and has as itsprincipal objective the provision of a disc of economical constructionwhlch may be placed in a light bulb socket having a four position (ofi,high, medium and low) switch associated therewith. A standard one or twofilament light blub may be then screwed in the light socket to contactthe insert. In one position of the switch the single filament bulb willbe excited to full intensity. In a second position of the switch thebulb will be excited to essentially one-half of its full intensity. Atwo filament bulb may be employed in a similar manner with therespective filaments being excited in accordance with the particularposition of the switch.

, It is known to provide a so-called three way light bulb which may besecured in a socket having a four position switch associated therewith.Such a three way light bulb generally possesses two filamentswherebyvarying light intensities may be achieved depending upon theposition of the switch. However, such bulbs are relatively expensive andof a relatively short life.

It is, accordingly, a principal object of the present invention toprovide a socket insert for such a switch whereby a conventional lightbulb may be employed to achieve two levels of light intensity.

The foregoing as well as other objects of the present invention areachieved by providing a socket insert for a socket having a fourposition switch associated there with. The socket insert is a separableinsulating disc having first and second disc terminals secured thereonand further having a half-wave rectifier physically and electricallyunited to the disc terminals. The first disc terminal is positioned onboth sides of the disc so that it may contact a first terminal of thesocket. The disc fur ther includes a slot adjacent the second discterminal to permit a second socket terminal to project therethrough andcontact the second disc terminal. The terminal of the blub will contactthe first disc terminal so that in one position of the switch aconventional circuit is made through the light bulb which Will burn withfull intensity. In a second position of the switch, the half-waverectifier is introduced into the light bulb circuit so that the lightbulb will burn with substantially one-half of its normal intensity.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view with portions cut away forclarity showing a socket insert of the present invention about to beplaced in a socket having associated therewith a three position switch;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a socket insert of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the socket insert of FIG. 2;

FIG. .4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the lines.44 of FIG. 1showing the insert placed in the socket and with a standard light bulbscrewed in the socket; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic circuit further explaining the interaction betweenthe socket insert of the present invention and a socket with aconventional four position switch (three positions being schematicallyillustrated).

Referring now' in greater detail to the various figures of the drawingswherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, a socketinsert for varying the intensity of a light bulb embodying the presentinvention is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1. As indicated in FIGS. 1, 2and 3, socket insert 10 basically comprises a first disc terminal 12 anda second disc terminal 14 mounted in spaced relationship upon aninsulating disc 16. A halfwave rectifier 18 has a lead 20 secured to thefirst disc terminal 12 and a lead 22 secured to the second disc terminal14 (FIG. 3). An indexing key 24 in the nature of a cylindrical lugdepends from the disc body 16.

The socket insert 10, which will be described in greater detailhereinafter, is adapted to be inserted in a screwtype bulb socket 26. Asshown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the socket 26 generally comprises an internallythreaded conducting inner wall 28 secured to an insulating base 30. Anintermediate insulating wall 32 is positioned against the outer surfaceof the conducting wall 28 and an outer metallic protective covering 34is positioned against the intermediate wall 32. A cap 36 encloses oneend of the socket and terminates in a collar 38 with a set screw 40 toaccommodate wiring 42. Knob 44 is provided in the socket body in orderto operate the switching means within the socket 26. Projecting upwardlyfrom the insulating base 30 of the socket 26 is a first socket terminal46 and a socket terminal 48. These terminals are adapted to besequentially grounded by a turning of the knob 44 so that electriccurrent may alternately flow through either of the terminals 46 and 48when a conducting member such as abulb is secured in the socket 26. Asindicated in FIG. 4, the first socket terminal 46 is in the nature of aresilient blade lying generally parallel to the insulating base 30whereas the second socket terminal 48 is in the nature of a rigid fingerprojecting perpendicularly from the base 30.

The socket insert 10 is adapted to be placed in the socket 26 in amanner complementary to the socket terminals 46 and 48. Toward this endthe first disc terminal 12 is generally U-shaped and comprises an upperresilient arm 50 generally parallel to but spaced from the upper surface52 of the disc body 16. The first disc terminal 12 further includes alower arm 54 disposed against the lower surface 56 of the disc body 16.The lower arm 54 and consequently the entire first disc 12 is secured tothe disc body 16 by means of a -metallic rivet 58. A bridging section 60unites the upper arm 50 and the lower arm 54 of the first disc terminal12. An opening 62 is provided in disc body 16 in order to accommodatethe bridging section 60.

The second disc terminal 14 generally comprises a relatively short pieceof conductive material 64 secured against the upper side 52 of the discbody 16. The piece of material 64 terminates in a raised resilient lip66 which projects above a slot 68 formed in the disc body 16. The seconddisc terminal 14 is secured to the body 16 by means of a metallic rivet70.

The keying device 24 is in the nature of a lug depending from a lowersurface 56 of the disc body 16 and is adapted to be secured in acomplementary opening 72 in the base 30 of the socket 26.

In operation, the knob 44 is adapted to be placed in a high position orto alternately activate either the first socket terminal 46 or thesecond socket terminal 48. In addition, the knob 44 has a fourthposition which is neutral or off. The socket insert 10 is inserted intothe socket 26 in a manner as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 so that thekeying device 24 is inserted in the complementary opening 72 in socketbase 30. When this is done, the first socket terminal 46 is in contactwith the first disc terminal 12 either through the rivet 58 or thethrough the slot 68 to contact the lip 66 of the second,

disc terminal 14. Where desired, further contact between the secondsocket terminal 43 and the second disc terminal 14 may be achievedthrough the combination of the metallic rivet 70 and an area ofconductive solder or other conductive means bridging the distancebetween the slot 68 and the rivet 70. Once the disc 16 has been insertedin the socket 10, a light bulb 74 with conducting screw base 76 and alower terminal 78 supported by insulation 80 from the base 76 may besecured in the socket 26 in the normal manner. When this is done, theterminal 78 of the bulb 74 contacts the first disc terminal 12.

It is thus seen as illustrated schematically in the circuit of FIG. thatthe current leaving the bulb 74 at the lower bulb terminal 78 will inone position of the knob 44 enter the first disc terminal 12. When thefirst socket terminal 46 is activated, the current entering the firstdisc terminal 12 will travel directly to the socket terminal and thelight bulb will burn in its full intensity.

However, when the second socket terminal 48 in another position of knob44 is activated or grounded, the current entering the first discterminal 12 will travel through the lead 20 to the half-wave rectifier18, then through the lead 22 of the second disc terminal 14 and finallyto the second socket terminal 48. It is thus seen that in the positionof the knob 44 as shown by the full line arrow 82 of FIG. 5, thehalf-wave rectifier 18 is placed in the bulb circuit. In this manner,only substantially one-half of the normal power reaches the bulb 74 andthus the bulb will burn with substantially one-half of its normalintensity. The knob 44 may be turned to an off position and then theforegoing cycle may be repeated. Also, in the high position of knob 44,the bulb also burns with full intensity.

The half-wave rectifier employed in connection wit the present inventionis of a well-known construction and is composed of materials, such as,silicon and germanium or other suitable semi-conductive materials.

A satisfactory half-wave rectifier employed with the present inventionis a 200 volt silicon rectifier with an elongated shape whereby one sidethereof may be positioned conveniently against the straight ledge 82 ofthe disc body 16 in order to give an overall aspect of roundness of thedisc body 16.

It is thus seen that the socket insert of the present invention may besimply placed in any socket with switch means in the nature of a fourposition switch and that a conventional light bulb may'then be screwedinto the socket.

Furthermore, the socket insert of the present invention may be used invarying the voltage output of a socket in connection with speed controlof certain types of motors used in fans, pumps, etc.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claim, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

A socket insert comprising a substantially flat, separable, insulatingdisc having first and second spaced disc terminals secured thereon and ahalf-wave rectifier physically and electrically united to said discterminals, said first disc terminal being positioned on both sides ofsaid disc, and said disc including a slot adjacent said second discterminal, said slot being adapted to permit a socket terminal to makecontact with said second disc terminal, wire leads extending from saidhalf-wave rectfier of each of said disc terminals, and a keying devicesecured to said disc to permit the seating of said disc in a particularposition only.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS I 2,896,1257/1959 Morton 315 200 X 3,028,525 4/1962 Morton 315 200 X 3,062,98611/1962 Fritz et al. 315 200 JOHN W. HUCKERT, Primary Examiner.

JAMES D. KALLAM, Examiner.

R. F. POLISSACK, Assistant Examiner.

